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Wall and Piece
Banksy, Britain's now-legendary "guerilla" street artist, has painted the walls, streets, and bridges of towns and cities throughout the world. Not only did he smuggle his pieces into four of New York City's major art museums, he's also "hung" his work at London's Tate Gallery and adorned Israel's West Bank barrier with satirical images. Banksy's identity remains unknown, but his work is unmistakable with prints selling for as much as $45,000.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Banksy
34 books1,104 followersBanksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.
His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique. Such artistic works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.
Banksy's work was born out of the Bristol underground scene which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. According to author and graphic designer Tristan Manco and the book Home Sweet Home, Banksy "was born in 1974 and raised in Bristol, England. The son of a photocopier technician, he trained as a butcher but became involved in graffiti during the great Bristol aerosol boom of the late 1980s." Observers have noted that his style is similar to Blek le Rat, who began to work with stencils in 1981 in Paris and members of the anarcho-punk band Crass, which maintained a graffiti stencil campaign on the London Tube System in the late 1970s and early 1980s and is active today. However Banksy himself stated on his website that in all actuality he based his work on that of 3D from Massive Attack, stating, "No, I copied 3D from Massive Attack. He can actually draw."
Known for his contempt for the government in labeling graffiti as vandalism, Banksy displays his art on public surfaces such as walls and even going as far as to build physical prop pieces. Banksy does not sell photos of street graffiti directly himself; however, art auctioneers have been known to attempt to sell his street art on location and leave the problem of its removal in the hands of the winning bidder. Banksy's first film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, billed as "the world's first street art disaster movie," made its debut at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. The film was released in the UK on 5 March 2010. In January 2011, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary for the film.
His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique. Such artistic works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.
Banksy's work was born out of the Bristol underground scene which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. According to author and graphic designer Tristan Manco and the book Home Sweet Home, Banksy "was born in 1974 and raised in Bristol, England. The son of a photocopier technician, he trained as a butcher but became involved in graffiti during the great Bristol aerosol boom of the late 1980s." Observers have noted that his style is similar to Blek le Rat, who began to work with stencils in 1981 in Paris and members of the anarcho-punk band Crass, which maintained a graffiti stencil campaign on the London Tube System in the late 1970s and early 1980s and is active today. However Banksy himself stated on his website that in all actuality he based his work on that of 3D from Massive Attack, stating, "No, I copied 3D from Massive Attack. He can actually draw."
Known for his contempt for the government in labeling graffiti as vandalism, Banksy displays his art on public surfaces such as walls and even going as far as to build physical prop pieces. Banksy does not sell photos of street graffiti directly himself; however, art auctioneers have been known to attempt to sell his street art on location and leave the problem of its removal in the hands of the winning bidder. Banksy's first film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, billed as "the world's first street art disaster movie," made its debut at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. The film was released in the UK on 5 March 2010. In January 2011, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary for the film.
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December 4, 2013
Everyone in Britain knows Banksy, but I'm often surprised to find that my US friends haven't heard of him. He's one of the funniest artists around, and has taken graffiti to a completely new level. The paintings and installations just turn up, in the most unlikely places. Here's one of my favorites, which was discovered one morning on the wall of a family planning clinic in Bristol. (Note the thematically appropriate content). The local authorities were going to remove it, but the doctors asked if they were crazy. Erase an original Banksy?
He's incredibly good at outwitting security. One of his greatest coups was the following exhibit, which turned up in the British Museum. They also decided to keep it!
This book collects together most of his work, and is wonderfully amusing to leaf through. The thing I like most about him is his complete refusal to take himself seriously: what a contrast with Damien Hirst and the other pretentious idiots currently getting absurd sums for stuff that isn't any better than the pieces Banksy does for free. And although his main purpose is to entertain, he does have a serious side too. I'll give the last word to the man himself.
He's incredibly good at outwitting security. One of his greatest coups was the following exhibit, which turned up in the British Museum. They also decided to keep it!
This book collects together most of his work, and is wonderfully amusing to leaf through. The thing I like most about him is his complete refusal to take himself seriously: what a contrast with Damien Hirst and the other pretentious idiots currently getting absurd sums for stuff that isn't any better than the pieces Banksy does for free. And although his main purpose is to entertain, he does have a serious side too. I'll give the last word to the man himself.
January 8, 2022
Wall and Piece, Banksy
Artistic genius, political activist, painter and decorator, mythic legend or notorious graffiti artist? The identity of Banksy remains unknown, but his work is prolific. This title is the collected works of Britain's most wanted artist.
His works of political and social commentary have appeared on streets, walls, and bridges throughout the world.
Banksy displays his art on publicly visible surfaces such as walls and self-built physical prop pieces. Banksy no longer sells photographs or reproductions of his street graffiti, but his public "installations" are regularly resold, often even by removing the wall they were painted on.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز بیست و سوم ماه اکتبر سال2010میلادی
عنوان: بنکسی: دیوار و اثر هنری؛ مولف: بنکسی؛ مترجم و ویراستار ساناز فرازی؛ تهران کتاب آبان، سال1389؛ در240ص؛ مصور، رنگی، شابک9789648913767؛ عنوان روی جلد بنسکی؛ دیوار و گرافیتی؛ موضوع هنر خیابانی - دیوار نوشته ها - از هنرمندان بریتانیا - سده20م
کتاب، مشتمل بر دهها نقاشی دیواری، و خیابانی، از هنرمندی «بریتانیایی» است، که به بخشهای: «میمونها»، «پلیسها»، «موشها»، «گاوها»، «هنر»، و «مبلمان خیابانی» تقسیم شده است؛ در کنار هر تصویر، چند جمله ی کوتاه از نقاش، در ارتباط با موضوع تابلو، به چاپ رسیده است؛ «بنکسی» که فرزند یک تکنیسین دستگاه فتوکپی است، مدتی شاگرد قصابی بوده، اما سرانجام طی دوران «شکوفایی اسپری»، در سالهای پایانی دهه هشتاد سده ی بیستم میلادی، در «بریستول»، با گرافیتی آشنا شدند؛ او مردی ظاهرا سی و شش ساله، با نام مستعار، هنرمند فعال گرافیتی و منتقد سیاسی، کارگردان، و نقاش «انگلستانی» است، که سالها فعالیت پنهانی داشته است؛ با وجود اینکه دیوارنگاری در «انگلستان»، به دلیل آسیبرسانی به اموال عمومی، جرم به شمار میآید، او از سال1992میلادی، دیوارنگاری را، به صورت پنهانی آغاز کرد؛ هنر خیابانی ایشان طعنه آمیز، و هجویه هایش جسورانه، و خرابکارانه است، از اینروست که مشهورترین هنرمند خیابانی به شمار میآیند، و امروزه، بسیاری از جداره های شهری، در سرتاسر دنیا، اثر دستهایش را، بر خود دارند؛ «بنکسی» که دیوارنگاری را، از محله های محروم شهر زادگاهش «بریستول»، آغاز کرد، در عرض کمتر از ده سال، به شهرتی جهانی رسید؛ شهرتی که هر چه بیشتر میشد، ارزش آثارش را بالاتر میبرد، و به گسترش ابعاد شایعات، و داستان پردازیها، پیرامون ایشان دامن میزد
شماری از آثار ایشان، بین پانصد هزار، تا یک و نیم میلیون دلار، در حراجی ها فروخته شده اند؛ با اینکه بیش از ده سال، از فعالیت «بنکسی» میگذرد، تنها در سه چهار سال اخیر، نامش به رسانه ها کشیده شده، و میتوان ایشان را، محبوبترین هنرمند ناشناس جهان معاصر دانست، که به خلق اثر در تونل مخروبه ای در «لندن»، «دیوار حایل بین فلسطین و اسرائیل»، تا «دیزنی لند»، پرداخته است؛ وی دستمایه ی طراحیهای خود را «پلیسها»، «سربازها»، «موشها»، «میمونها» و «بچه ها»، قرار داده است؛ او در این شکل هنری، انتقادیهایی روشنگرانه و جدی را، در قالبی عموما طنز آمیز، به دستگاههای امنیتی، و نظم نمادین مستقر در جوامع سرمایه داری، وارد میکند؛ «بنکسی» در آثارش، با ارجاعات مکرر، به کنترلهای دائمی مردمان در شهر، که به وسیله ی دوربینهای مداربسته، اعمال میشود، خود را به شکلی «پارادوکسیکال (ناسازورانه)»، به عنوان شورشی، معرفی مینماید، که علیرغم اشکال گوناگون چنین کنترلهایی، همچنان ناشناس، به فعالیتهای غیرقانونی خویش، ادامه میدهند؛ این هنرمند معترض، تاکنون در برابر دوربینهای عکاسی، و تلویزیونی، ظاهر نشده، و کسی چهره ی ایشان را ندیده است
به دلیل قدغن بودن دیوارنگاری در «انگلستان»، در نخستین روزهای کار، بسیاری از نقاشیهایش، چند روزی بیشتر، روی دیوار دوام نمیآوردند، و پاک میشدند، ولی در حال حاضر، با وجود منع قانونی کشیدن گرافیتی روی دیوار، رئیس شورای شهر «بریستول»، دستور داده، که نقاشیهای «بنکسی»، به عنوان فرزند پرافتخار این شهر، باید روی دیوارها نگهداری شوند! نگاهی به آثار: بارزترین شاخصه ی گرافیتیهای «بنکسی» نگاه طنزآلود، و بیان طعنه آمیز ایشان، به سیاست است؛ ایشان در استفاده ی مناسب از «پرسپکتیو»، و بُعد دادن به اشیاء، بسیار زبردست هستند، و تعریف ویژه ی خویش را، از هنر خیابانی دارند؛ آمیخته ای از این تعریف و تکنیک، استفاده از شابلون، فضای ویژه ای به کارهای ایشان میبخشد؛ گاهی هم امضای «بنکسی»، زیر برخی آثارش، نمایان میشود
استنسیلهای سیاه و سفید «بنکسی»؛ زیبا، زیرکانه، و القاء کننده ی انقلابی تدریجی هستند: «افسران پلیس خندان»، «موشهای مته به دست»، «میمونهای مجهز به سلاحهای کشتار جمعی»، «گشت زدن افسران پلیس با سگهای «پودل» خویش»، «ساموئل ال جکسون»، و «جان تراولتا»، که به جای اسلحه، موز پرتاب میکنند، مردی چاق در حال نوشتن کلمه ی آشوب بر دیوار؛ در اماکن دیدنی قدیمی، «بنکسی» اغلب این عبارت را مینویسد «این جا، جای عکسبرداری نیست»؛
اخیرا «بنکسی»، در زمینه های دیگری، همچون طراحی جلد یکی از آلبومهای گروه « بلر» هم، فعالیت کرده است؛ جرقه ی اشتهار «بنکسی» زمانی زده شد؛ که او یکی از گرافیتیهایش را، روی دیوار گالری «تیت مدرن» «لندن» کشید؛ او در سال2005میلادی، همین کار را در «موزه ی هنرهای مدرن نیویورک»، «موزه ی هنر متروپلیتن»، «موزه ی بروکلین»، و «موزه ی تاریخ طبیعی آمریکا» نیز، اجرا کرد؛ در ماه مه(می) همانسال، یکی دیگر از گرافیتیهای ایشان، روی دیوار «موزه ی بریتانیا» دیده شد، و در ماه اوت، گزارش دیگری از اجرائی بر روی «نوار غزه» داده شد؛ در حال حاضر، «لیونل گالری شهر آمستردام»، با نمایش بیش از ده اثر هنری، و تمام آثار چاپی نسخه ی محدود «بنکسی»، کاملترین نمایش هنری این هنرمند خیابانی را در «هلند»، برگزار میکند
شاهکار این سری، نقاشی بزرگی، با عنوان «گذرمان را بر ما ببخش»، به ابعاد یکصد و بیست و دو، و دویست و چهل و چهار سانتیمتر است، که «بنکسی» برای تبلیغ «دی.وی.دی» خود، با عنوان «خروج از مغازه کادو فروشی»، در سال2010میلادی، در خیابان «آکسفورد لندن» استفاده کرده بود؛ طی مدت زمان نمایش آثار «بنکسی»، از روز بیستم ماه ژوئن، تا بیستم ماه ژوئیه، مجموعه داران هنری سراسر «اروپا»، «چین»، «ایالات متحده»، و «خاورمیانه»، به «آمستردام» پرواز میکنند، تا از آثار «پیکاسوی مدرن» تجلیل کنند؛ همانطور که «اندی وارهول»، به عنوان «سلطان هنر پاپ» شناخته میشد، «بنکسی» نیز لقب «سلطان هنر خیابانی» را، به خود چسبانده است؛ طی ده ماه گذشته، ایشان در بزرگترین موتور جستجوی دنیای هنر، رتبه ی نخست را کسب کرده، و هنرمندانی همانند «رامبراند»، «پیکاسو»، «وارهول»، و «ونگوگ» را، پشت سر خویش انداخته است
جهان هنر، پس از نمایش هنری شش ماه پیش «بنکسی»، در «لندن»، علاقه ای بسیار به او پیدا کرد؛ «لیونل و کیم از لیونل گالری»، که در گذشته با هنرمندانی از جمله «پیکاسو»، «کونز»، «هرست»، یا «باسکیات»، با موفقیت همکاری داشته، آثار «بنکسی» را، هر هفته به مردم سراسر جهان میفروشند؛ با کیفیت ترین آثار هنر معاصر، در این مجموعه گرد هم میآیند، و مجموعه داران جوان، که میخواهند نخستین اثر هنری حقیقی خود را، خریداری کنند، یا هنرمندان درجه یک «هالیوودی»، همه در «آمستردام»، گرد هم میآیند، تا از این آثار، تحسین کنند
کیم لاگیز از لیونلگالری میگوید: «بعضی از هنرمندان خیابانی، آنقدر بزرگ میشوند، که میتوان آنها را پیکاسوهای زمان خود خواند؛ برخی از آنها هم توانسته اند، توجه حراجیهای بزرگ، و گالریهای برتر را، به آثار خود جلب کنند، و این نشان میدهد، که چطور جهان هنر قدیمی، با جهان هنر جدید روبرو میشود.»؛
بنکسی هنرش را بر سطوح موجود در فضاهای عمومی به نمایش میگذارد، و حتی تا آنجا پیش میرود، که عناصر و احجام فیزیکی هم خلق کند؛ «بنکسی» خودش مستقیماً عکسهای گرافیتیهایش را نمیفروشد، هر چند معلوم شده، برگزار کنندگان حراجهای هنری در تلاش هستند، تا کارهای خیابانی ایشان را در همان محلی که کار کشیده شده، بفروشند، و دردسر جابجا کردن آنها را، به برنده ی حراج واگذار کنند
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 13/12/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 17/10/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Artistic genius, political activist, painter and decorator, mythic legend or notorious graffiti artist? The identity of Banksy remains unknown, but his work is prolific. This title is the collected works of Britain's most wanted artist.
His works of political and social commentary have appeared on streets, walls, and bridges throughout the world.
Banksy displays his art on publicly visible surfaces such as walls and self-built physical prop pieces. Banksy no longer sells photographs or reproductions of his street graffiti, but his public "installations" are regularly resold, often even by removing the wall they were painted on.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز بیست و سوم ماه اکتبر سال2010میلادی
عنوان: بنکسی: دیوار و اثر هنری؛ مولف: بنکسی؛ مترجم و ویراستار ساناز فرازی؛ تهران کتاب آبان، سال1389؛ در240ص؛ مصور، رنگی، شابک9789648913767؛ عنوان روی جلد بنسکی؛ دیوار و گرافیتی؛ موضوع هنر خیابانی - دیوار نوشته ها - از هنرمندان بریتانیا - سده20م
کتاب، مشتمل بر دهها نقاشی دیواری، و خیابانی، از هنرمندی «بریتانیایی» است، که به بخشهای: «میمونها»، «پلیسها»، «موشها»، «گاوها»، «هنر»، و «مبلمان خیابانی» تقسیم شده است؛ در کنار هر تصویر، چند جمله ی کوتاه از نقاش، در ارتباط با موضوع تابلو، به چاپ رسیده است؛ «بنکسی» که فرزند یک تکنیسین دستگاه فتوکپی است، مدتی شاگرد قصابی بوده، اما سرانجام طی دوران «شکوفایی اسپری»، در سالهای پایانی دهه هشتاد سده ی بیستم میلادی، در «بریستول»، با گرافیتی آشنا شدند؛ او مردی ظاهرا سی و شش ساله، با نام مستعار، هنرمند فعال گرافیتی و منتقد سیاسی، کارگردان، و نقاش «انگلستانی» است، که سالها فعالیت پنهانی داشته است؛ با وجود اینکه دیوارنگاری در «انگلستان»، به دلیل آسیبرسانی به اموال عمومی، جرم به شمار میآید، او از سال1992میلادی، دیوارنگاری را، به صورت پنهانی آغاز کرد؛ هنر خیابانی ایشان طعنه آمیز، و هجویه هایش جسورانه، و خرابکارانه است، از اینروست که مشهورترین هنرمند خیابانی به شمار میآیند، و امروزه، بسیاری از جداره های شهری، در سرتاسر دنیا، اثر دستهایش را، بر خود دارند؛ «بنکسی» که دیوارنگاری را، از محله های محروم شهر زادگاهش «بریستول»، آغاز کرد، در عرض کمتر از ده سال، به شهرتی جهانی رسید؛ شهرتی که هر چه بیشتر میشد، ارزش آثارش را بالاتر میبرد، و به گسترش ابعاد شایعات، و داستان پردازیها، پیرامون ایشان دامن میزد
شماری از آثار ایشان، بین پانصد هزار، تا یک و نیم میلیون دلار، در حراجی ها فروخته شده اند؛ با اینکه بیش از ده سال، از فعالیت «بنکسی» میگذرد، تنها در سه چهار سال اخیر، نامش به رسانه ها کشیده شده، و میتوان ایشان را، محبوبترین هنرمند ناشناس جهان معاصر دانست، که به خلق اثر در تونل مخروبه ای در «لندن»، «دیوار حایل بین فلسطین و اسرائیل»، تا «دیزنی لند»، پرداخته است؛ وی دستمایه ی طراحیهای خود را «پلیسها»، «سربازها»، «موشها»، «میمونها» و «بچه ها»، قرار داده است؛ او در این شکل هنری، انتقادیهایی روشنگرانه و جدی را، در قالبی عموما طنز آمیز، به دستگاههای امنیتی، و نظم نمادین مستقر در جوامع سرمایه داری، وارد میکند؛ «بنکسی» در آثارش، با ارجاعات مکرر، به کنترلهای دائمی مردمان در شهر، که به وسیله ی دوربینهای مداربسته، اعمال میشود، خود را به شکلی «پارادوکسیکال (ناسازورانه)»، به عنوان شورشی، معرفی مینماید، که علیرغم اشکال گوناگون چنین کنترلهایی، همچنان ناشناس، به فعالیتهای غیرقانونی خویش، ادامه میدهند؛ این هنرمند معترض، تاکنون در برابر دوربینهای عکاسی، و تلویزیونی، ظاهر نشده، و کسی چهره ی ایشان را ندیده است
به دلیل قدغن بودن دیوارنگاری در «انگلستان»، در نخستین روزهای کار، بسیاری از نقاشیهایش، چند روزی بیشتر، روی دیوار دوام نمیآوردند، و پاک میشدند، ولی در حال حاضر، با وجود منع قانونی کشیدن گرافیتی روی دیوار، رئیس شورای شهر «بریستول»، دستور داده، که نقاشیهای «بنکسی»، به عنوان فرزند پرافتخار این شهر، باید روی دیوارها نگهداری شوند! نگاهی به آثار: بارزترین شاخصه ی گرافیتیهای «بنکسی» نگاه طنزآلود، و بیان طعنه آمیز ایشان، به سیاست است؛ ایشان در استفاده ی مناسب از «پرسپکتیو»، و بُعد دادن به اشیاء، بسیار زبردست هستند، و تعریف ویژه ی خویش را، از هنر خیابانی دارند؛ آمیخته ای از این تعریف و تکنیک، استفاده از شابلون، فضای ویژه ای به کارهای ایشان میبخشد؛ گاهی هم امضای «بنکسی»، زیر برخی آثارش، نمایان میشود
استنسیلهای سیاه و سفید «بنکسی»؛ زیبا، زیرکانه، و القاء کننده ی انقلابی تدریجی هستند: «افسران پلیس خندان»، «موشهای مته به دست»، «میمونهای مجهز به سلاحهای کشتار جمعی»، «گشت زدن افسران پلیس با سگهای «پودل» خویش»، «ساموئل ال جکسون»، و «جان تراولتا»، که به جای اسلحه، موز پرتاب میکنند، مردی چاق در حال نوشتن کلمه ی آشوب بر دیوار؛ در اماکن دیدنی قدیمی، «بنکسی» اغلب این عبارت را مینویسد «این جا، جای عکسبرداری نیست»؛
اخیرا «بنکسی»، در زمینه های دیگری، همچون طراحی جلد یکی از آلبومهای گروه « بلر» هم، فعالیت کرده است؛ جرقه ی اشتهار «بنکسی» زمانی زده شد؛ که او یکی از گرافیتیهایش را، روی دیوار گالری «تیت مدرن» «لندن» کشید؛ او در سال2005میلادی، همین کار را در «موزه ی هنرهای مدرن نیویورک»، «موزه ی هنر متروپلیتن»، «موزه ی بروکلین»، و «موزه ی تاریخ طبیعی آمریکا» نیز، اجرا کرد؛ در ماه مه(می) همانسال، یکی دیگر از گرافیتیهای ایشان، روی دیوار «موزه ی بریتانیا» دیده شد، و در ماه اوت، گزارش دیگری از اجرائی بر روی «نوار غزه» داده شد؛ در حال حاضر، «لیونل گالری شهر آمستردام»، با نمایش بیش از ده اثر هنری، و تمام آثار چاپی نسخه ی محدود «بنکسی»، کاملترین نمایش هنری این هنرمند خیابانی را در «هلند»، برگزار میکند
شاهکار این سری، نقاشی بزرگی، با عنوان «گذرمان را بر ما ببخش»، به ابعاد یکصد و بیست و دو، و دویست و چهل و چهار سانتیمتر است، که «بنکسی» برای تبلیغ «دی.وی.دی» خود، با عنوان «خروج از مغازه کادو فروشی»، در سال2010میلادی، در خیابان «آکسفورد لندن» استفاده کرده بود؛ طی مدت زمان نمایش آثار «بنکسی»، از روز بیستم ماه ژوئن، تا بیستم ماه ژوئیه، مجموعه داران هنری سراسر «اروپا»، «چین»، «ایالات متحده»، و «خاورمیانه»، به «آمستردام» پرواز میکنند، تا از آثار «پیکاسوی مدرن» تجلیل کنند؛ همانطور که «اندی وارهول»، به عنوان «سلطان هنر پاپ» شناخته میشد، «بنکسی» نیز لقب «سلطان هنر خیابانی» را، به خود چسبانده است؛ طی ده ماه گذشته، ایشان در بزرگترین موتور جستجوی دنیای هنر، رتبه ی نخست را کسب کرده، و هنرمندانی همانند «رامبراند»، «پیکاسو»، «وارهول»، و «ونگوگ» را، پشت سر خویش انداخته است
جهان هنر، پس از نمایش هنری شش ماه پیش «بنکسی»، در «لندن»، علاقه ای بسیار به او پیدا کرد؛ «لیونل و کیم از لیونل گالری»، که در گذشته با هنرمندانی از جمله «پیکاسو»، «کونز»، «هرست»، یا «باسکیات»، با موفقیت همکاری داشته، آثار «بنکسی» را، هر هفته به مردم سراسر جهان میفروشند؛ با کیفیت ترین آثار هنر معاصر، در این مجموعه گرد هم میآیند، و مجموعه داران جوان، که میخواهند نخستین اثر هنری حقیقی خود را، خریداری کنند، یا هنرمندان درجه یک «هالیوودی»، همه در «آمستردام»، گرد هم میآیند، تا از این آثار، تحسین کنند
کیم لاگیز از لیونلگالری میگوید: «بعضی از هنرمندان خیابانی، آنقدر بزرگ میشوند، که میتوان آنها را پیکاسوهای زمان خود خواند؛ برخی از آنها هم توانسته اند، توجه حراجیهای بزرگ، و گالریهای برتر را، به آثار خود جلب کنند، و این نشان میدهد، که چطور جهان هنر قدیمی، با جهان هنر جدید روبرو میشود.»؛
بنکسی هنرش را بر سطوح موجود در فضاهای عمومی به نمایش میگذارد، و حتی تا آنجا پیش میرود، که عناصر و احجام فیزیکی هم خلق کند؛ «بنکسی» خودش مستقیماً عکسهای گرافیتیهایش را نمیفروشد، هر چند معلوم شده، برگزار کنندگان حراجهای هنری در تلاش هستند، تا کارهای خیابانی ایشان را در همان محلی که کار کشیده شده، بفروشند، و دردسر جابجا کردن آنها را، به برنده ی حراج واگذار کنند
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 13/12/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 17/10/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
June 5, 2020
After seeing this next post on Tumblr, I simply had to add this book to my TBR.
“A wall has always been the best place to publish your work.”
I was looking for something to lift my spirits a bit, and thank the stars for sending this piece of art in my direction. Wall and Piece is guaranteed to brighten even your bleakest day.
Banksy, Britain's now-legendary "guerilla" street artist, has painted the walls, streets, and bridges of towns and cities throughout the world.
Wall and Piece sets the mood with a phenomenal introduction that not only made me open up my eyes to a new world but also seriously educated me.
“The people who truly deface our neighbourhoods are the companies that scrawl their giant slogans across buildings and buses trying to make us feel inadequate unless we buy their stuff. They expect to be able to shout their message in your face from every available surface but you’re never allowed to answer back. Well, they started this fight and the wall is the weapon of choice to hit them back.”
Not only is Bansky an incredible artist but his way with words lanced my heart. And thankfully that wasn't the only written part because we then smoothly move onto the works of Banksy, where he occasionally attaches a piece text to describe the art.
Here are a few of my favorites:
And lastly, I was greatly surprised when it mentioned a short story that was also featured in Almost Famous Women:
Overall, I was incredibly amazed with Wall and Piece, especially getting to know that some of the works took only minutes to get done. MINUTES!!
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying Wall and Piece, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
This review and more can be found on my blog.
“A wall has always been the best place to publish your work.”
I was looking for something to lift my spirits a bit, and thank the stars for sending this piece of art in my direction. Wall and Piece is guaranteed to brighten even your bleakest day.
Banksy, Britain's now-legendary "guerilla" street artist, has painted the walls, streets, and bridges of towns and cities throughout the world.
Wall and Piece sets the mood with a phenomenal introduction that not only made me open up my eyes to a new world but also seriously educated me.
“The people who truly deface our neighbourhoods are the companies that scrawl their giant slogans across buildings and buses trying to make us feel inadequate unless we buy their stuff. They expect to be able to shout their message in your face from every available surface but you’re never allowed to answer back. Well, they started this fight and the wall is the weapon of choice to hit them back.”
Not only is Bansky an incredible artist but his way with words lanced my heart. And thankfully that wasn't the only written part because we then smoothly move onto the works of Banksy, where he occasionally attaches a piece text to describe the art.
Here are a few of my favorites:
And lastly, I was greatly surprised when it mentioned a short story that was also featured in Almost Famous Women:
Overall, I was incredibly amazed with Wall and Piece, especially getting to know that some of the works took only minutes to get done. MINUTES!!
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying Wall and Piece, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
This review and more can be found on my blog.
November 28, 2010
Disclaimer: Haters are not cool. I'm not 'hating' Banksy because it's the hipster thing to do (go grab an art school undergrad, you'll see what I mean). One problem with reviewing solo-artist art book is that you can't avoid talking about the actual artist, so here it is. I can't even be bothered to write about graphics. I mean, surely you're only considering buying this book because of the guy not the pretty layout right?
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Why do people like Banksy?
It seems like people either hate him or love him, and not the traditional oh-he's-so-controversial-edgy-can't-possibly-be-in-between kind. 'Serious' practicing artists loathe this guy because 1) he's an auction babe and 2) non-'serious' artists love him. His fellow graffiti artists have similarly divided opinion about him, ranging from the Robbo Vs. Banksy hatred to admiring him as the God of stencil art. A couple years ago when he first started doing those gallery stunts where he sneaked his own work in major museums (Brooklyn, MoMA etc) in that masked Sherlock Holmes outfit, I thought 'why, this guy is not a popular artist, what he's doing is clearly conceptual and bravo to someone who is expanding the boundary of performance art!'. Over the years as he got more public attention, Banksy became more reserved and civilised in the media. There is a trend in the rising street artists where the stereotypical persona of the rough, I'm-from-the-hood attitude is discarded for a safe, white bourgeoisie irony of look-I'm-fiddling-with-something-cool-and-dangerous-but-remember-drugs-and-alcohol-are-bad-for-you-kids! Remember Twilight? Remember how bad-ass things were actually bad-ass, but now the symbol of rebellious angsty anti-authority icons are either Gossip Girls or Jersey Shore? (excluding ironic Che references)
What Banksy does is arguably beneficial to the art community, in a way that he exposes the traditional obscure and anonymous operation of street artists to a wider audience. But he IS Edgy, Dangerous and c00l, you might say, look at what he did in Palenstine! Paris Hilton CDs! See, Banksy works best with a contextual focus rather than technical originality. In terms of fame and money, yes he makes a lot of those but he is by no means the first one (haters, please remember Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons are still out there). Andre, Basquiat and a bunch of other artists have benefited from the popularity of street art by boxing it into Sotheby's home. If you want to be more extreme, you can even argue Banksy isn't an artist at all. What he does is make statements and provoke his audience through civic sentiments. He is not consciously creating art. Even traditional graffiti tags have a narcissistic quality that is unique to art.
Similar to Twilight, Banksy is another subject I avoid talking about. Yes, he's a serious artist and interesting phenomenon but many of his fans are obnoxious in labeling him as an academic artists because of this political nature and somewhat 'unconventional' genre. Banksy never publicly denounced other 'sell out' street or shock artists and I respect his unpretentiousness. Of course, people say 'well, I don't care if you're only into those 'serious' minimalists, abstract-nobody-except-your-art-professor-understands or installation art, Banksy is too cool for "definition"'. However, you can't discuss the artistic merit of Banksy without including him in the circle, an exact contradiction to his principle. Well, now that he's widely accepted in the art crowd (I'm sure he doesn't have a problem with it, considering his generous rise in pay check) only complicates the matter. Is he still a serious 'street' artist? Sure he works with the same medium and similar themes, but his works are getting safer and more political for politic's sake. It is a shame considering the artistic merit of his works (although that is also debatable, some graffiti artists consider stencil art contrived. Personally I believe efficiency is important due to street art's, well, illicit nature of production)
It is perhaps unfair to hate on Banksy for all the above reasons. After all, can you name one popular artist who hasn't been called a phony in recent years? The point I'm trying to make is that if you're serious about art, or street art for that matter, Banksy is merely credible and nothing unusual beyond that. Banksy is not 1) breaking new grounds, or rather, not that 'new' in the course of art history 2) technically/structurally innovative 3) authentic just because he works on the street and break laws and shit. I'm not saying he's not a good artist (if such thing exists), but I'm just going to avoid the next person that calls him the greatest 'artist' in the century, not that Banksy himself, I imagine, would care about this anyway, so why should you?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why do people like Banksy?
It seems like people either hate him or love him, and not the traditional oh-he's-so-controversial-edgy-can't-possibly-be-in-between kind. 'Serious' practicing artists loathe this guy because 1) he's an auction babe and 2) non-'serious' artists love him. His fellow graffiti artists have similarly divided opinion about him, ranging from the Robbo Vs. Banksy hatred to admiring him as the God of stencil art. A couple years ago when he first started doing those gallery stunts where he sneaked his own work in major museums (Brooklyn, MoMA etc) in that masked Sherlock Holmes outfit, I thought 'why, this guy is not a popular artist, what he's doing is clearly conceptual and bravo to someone who is expanding the boundary of performance art!'. Over the years as he got more public attention, Banksy became more reserved and civilised in the media. There is a trend in the rising street artists where the stereotypical persona of the rough, I'm-from-the-hood attitude is discarded for a safe, white bourgeoisie irony of look-I'm-fiddling-with-something-cool-and-dangerous-but-remember-drugs-and-alcohol-are-bad-for-you-kids! Remember Twilight? Remember how bad-ass things were actually bad-ass, but now the symbol of rebellious angsty anti-authority icons are either Gossip Girls or Jersey Shore? (excluding ironic Che references)
What Banksy does is arguably beneficial to the art community, in a way that he exposes the traditional obscure and anonymous operation of street artists to a wider audience. But he IS Edgy, Dangerous and c00l, you might say, look at what he did in Palenstine! Paris Hilton CDs! See, Banksy works best with a contextual focus rather than technical originality. In terms of fame and money, yes he makes a lot of those but he is by no means the first one (haters, please remember Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons are still out there). Andre, Basquiat and a bunch of other artists have benefited from the popularity of street art by boxing it into Sotheby's home. If you want to be more extreme, you can even argue Banksy isn't an artist at all. What he does is make statements and provoke his audience through civic sentiments. He is not consciously creating art. Even traditional graffiti tags have a narcissistic quality that is unique to art.
Similar to Twilight, Banksy is another subject I avoid talking about. Yes, he's a serious artist and interesting phenomenon but many of his fans are obnoxious in labeling him as an academic artists because of this political nature and somewhat 'unconventional' genre. Banksy never publicly denounced other 'sell out' street or shock artists and I respect his unpretentiousness. Of course, people say 'well, I don't care if you're only into those 'serious' minimalists, abstract-nobody-except-your-art-professor-understands or installation art, Banksy is too cool for "definition"'. However, you can't discuss the artistic merit of Banksy without including him in the circle, an exact contradiction to his principle. Well, now that he's widely accepted in the art crowd (I'm sure he doesn't have a problem with it, considering his generous rise in pay check) only complicates the matter. Is he still a serious 'street' artist? Sure he works with the same medium and similar themes, but his works are getting safer and more political for politic's sake. It is a shame considering the artistic merit of his works (although that is also debatable, some graffiti artists consider stencil art contrived. Personally I believe efficiency is important due to street art's, well, illicit nature of production)
It is perhaps unfair to hate on Banksy for all the above reasons. After all, can you name one popular artist who hasn't been called a phony in recent years? The point I'm trying to make is that if you're serious about art, or street art for that matter, Banksy is merely credible and nothing unusual beyond that. Banksy is not 1) breaking new grounds, or rather, not that 'new' in the course of art history 2) technically/structurally innovative 3) authentic just because he works on the street and break laws and shit. I'm not saying he's not a good artist (if such thing exists), but I'm just going to avoid the next person that calls him the greatest 'artist' in the century, not that Banksy himself, I imagine, would care about this anyway, so why should you?
September 15, 2022
Wall and Piece is a book that tells the story of Banksy, an anonymous street artist who has painted walls in cities worldwide. The book dividing into six parts: Monkeys, Cops, Rats, Cows, Art, and Street Furniture.
August 28, 2024
Thought provoking and powerful - a tour de force on the absurdity that has become institutionalized in our modern world. The hieroglyphics of social change are there for those in power to read; but often are left unheeded - the very details the devil wants us to miss. Important book that looks at the collective problems we face.
February 14, 2021
Famously known for his self-shredding Girl with the Balloon right after it was auctioned for $1.3 million in October 2018, Banksy is a creative and reclusive genius. As a graffiti artist and activist, he has a wicked sense of humor and lively imagination. Nothing appears beyond his satirical attention from Queen Elizabeth, the Metropolitan police, Disney, McDonald's, corporate brands and logos, historic monuments, livestock, and the Palestinian Wall. Smiley faced riot garbed police, rats in backpacks breaking into a safe, cavemen erecting street cameras, the grim reaper, painted cows, Mona Lisa shouldering a missile, Princess Diana 10 pound notes, and monkeys are just a few of his repertoire of images showcased in this book. He has left his political and social stenciled and sprayed commentary on sidewalks, buildings, and walls throughout the world. Whether you consider him an artist or a vandal, his body of work is impressive. He had the audacity to hang his own works in the Tate Gallery, the Louvre, the New York Metropolitan Museum, the New York’s Museum of Modern Art, and the British Museum with some lasting hours, days, or longer before discovery. His identity is unconfirmed but his street art criticizing war, establishment, and consumerism began in Bristol in the 1990s before moving to London in the 2000s. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the unauthorized The Art of Banksy exhibit that I saw in February 2019.
The Coronavirus has not stopped him as indicated his latest work (in his home) as featured on Instagram. I tried to insert the image, but I don't know how to do it.
https://news.yahoo.com/banksy-reveals...
The publisher included a note, “This book contains the creative/artistic element of graffiti art and is not meant to encourage or induce graffiti where it is illegal or inappropriate.” On the same page was a trademark announcing “Copyright is for losers.”
The Coronavirus has not stopped him as indicated his latest work (in his home) as featured on Instagram. I tried to insert the image, but I don't know how to do it.
https://news.yahoo.com/banksy-reveals...
The publisher included a note, “This book contains the creative/artistic element of graffiti art and is not meant to encourage or induce graffiti where it is illegal or inappropriate.” On the same page was a trademark announcing “Copyright is for losers.”
January 18, 2011
In 2003, Banksy donated one of his artworks to the Tate Gallery in London. The thing is, the Tate Gallery hadn't actually asked for anything of his. He just walked in (or had a friend walk in, or had a member of the collective walk in--Banksy's true identity is uncertain) and stuck it to the wall. This is just the kind of appalling disrespect that I think the world needs more of.
Over the next couple of years, he made similar donations to the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Brooklyn Museum, MoMA, the Natural History Museum in New York and the one in London, and the British Museum. At least two of the museums have added these donations to their permanent collections.
It takes a special kind of mind to tag Trafalgar Square with an enormous sign reading DESIGNATED RIOT AREA. Also to sneak into the penguin enclosure at a zoo and leave the message "We're bored of fish." And the Lady Di ten-pound "Banksy of England" notes are incredible . . . too bad he would face 12 years in prison if he actually distributed them.
It's a shame that Batman and Wonder Woman aren't real, but at least we have Banksy.
Over the next couple of years, he made similar donations to the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Brooklyn Museum, MoMA, the Natural History Museum in New York and the one in London, and the British Museum. At least two of the museums have added these donations to their permanent collections.
It takes a special kind of mind to tag Trafalgar Square with an enormous sign reading DESIGNATED RIOT AREA. Also to sneak into the penguin enclosure at a zoo and leave the message "We're bored of fish." And the Lady Di ten-pound "Banksy of England" notes are incredible . . . too bad he would face 12 years in prison if he actually distributed them.
It's a shame that Batman and Wonder Woman aren't real, but at least we have Banksy.
February 1, 2016
“Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw whatever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colours and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a party where everyone was invited, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall - it's wet.”
October 6, 2018
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who know the work of Banksy, and those who should. I recommend this book to both.
I think this quote from the back cover says a lot about Banksy:
"There's no way you're going to get a quote
from us on your book cover"
Metropolitan Police spokesperson
________________
Update 6 October 2018
Banksy artwork 'doubles in value' after being shredded in front of stunned onlookers moments after it was sold for over £1m at Sotheby's auction.
Wie gewonnen, so zerronnen :)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
May 30, 2013
I loved this. Particularly this
May 9, 2010
Like many people, I just find the story of Banksy -- a sort of artist Robin Hood -- incredibly compelling. In my head this most elusive of graffiti artists looks like Sean Bean and drives a Lotus Elan or something like that. This book spares the words and lavishes the photographs, letting Banksy's political statements, hastily and secretly sprayed onto walls, speak for themselves. If Banksy was just an anarchist, rustling with discontent, this book, and his art, would be unimpressive. But Banksy's art speaks with an edgy, wry, stylish accent. His spray-painted creations are no defacement. Instead, they're the graphic, unheard voices of those shouting "something is wrong here!"
May 2, 2021
This man is deep! His graffiti is truly as unique and individual as it gets. Fallen angels, Cancelled Dreams, monkeys with signs reading “One Day I’ll Be in Charge”, SWAT Team policemen with smiley faces canvased on their heads, and much more. Banksy I think is a true rebel that expresses himself in art and stylistic graffiti that has messages of anti-authority, independent thinking, and even some self-criticism. What I like most about Banksy is that he doesn’t let it go to his head. Get this book for some awesome graffiti coming from the heart.
“A lot of people never use their initiative because no one told them to.”
-Banksy
“A lot of people never use their initiative because no one told them to.”
-Banksy
December 6, 2017
(my copy has the "now with 10% more crap" red sticker in the lower right corner)
This book holds examples of graffiti/stencil artist Banksy, from 2001 to 2006, which aren't always on walls, and not always just with paint :) Sometimes it's just his name. Often the photographs have information with it: time, place, how long did it take to do it, how long it lasted - at least once in the last one the art was saved into a collection!
Surfaces: walls, animals, on grass and beach sand, vehicles of road and water, street itself, some zoos.
Themes: war, consumerism, thinking outside the rules, freedom, criticizing narrowness of 'what is art' definiton etc.
Types: policemen/Buckingham palace guards, certain animals (monkeys, rats, cows, birds etc.), war machines, famous people, children, "designated _ area", and so on.
As I've said, it's not always art: sometimes it's fake museum pieces, or sneaking art pieces (traffic cone art, decorating cameras with stuffed animals, putting 'shark fins' in park lakes, stickers etc.). I do have to admit that I don't like him spraying live animals, but him sneaking into zoos was amusing. He does most of his work in southern England, but has also done it in US and Israel, and it non-UK cities like Vienna, Berlin, and Paris.
This is a good view into his art, thought-provoking and often amusing. As many are no doubt now gone, this is a good way of seeing them now.
"Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better *looking* place."
This book holds examples of graffiti/stencil artist Banksy, from 2001 to 2006, which aren't always on walls, and not always just with paint :) Sometimes it's just his name. Often the photographs have information with it: time, place, how long did it take to do it, how long it lasted - at least once in the last one the art was saved into a collection!
Surfaces: walls, animals, on grass and beach sand, vehicles of road and water, street itself, some zoos.
Themes: war, consumerism, thinking outside the rules, freedom, criticizing narrowness of 'what is art' definiton etc.
Types: policemen/Buckingham palace guards, certain animals (monkeys, rats, cows, birds etc.), war machines, famous people, children, "designated _ area", and so on.
As I've said, it's not always art: sometimes it's fake museum pieces, or sneaking art pieces (traffic cone art, decorating cameras with stuffed animals, putting 'shark fins' in park lakes, stickers etc.). I do have to admit that I don't like him spraying live animals, but him sneaking into zoos was amusing. He does most of his work in southern England, but has also done it in US and Israel, and it non-UK cities like Vienna, Berlin, and Paris.
This is a good view into his art, thought-provoking and often amusing. As many are no doubt now gone, this is a good way of seeing them now.
"Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better *looking* place."
April 13, 2010
Added later: I found it quite moving, his description of being drawn to graffiti the outside of the walls imprisoning the Palestinians and being told off in no uncertain terms by the inhabitants. To beautify the walls is to insult them. Of course. Obvious when you think of it.
----------------------------------------
I'm loving this, of course. And it's not that I disagree, exactly, with his messages, but a dominant one is this idea that
Well, okay, but. There is lots of really clever, funny, aesthetically pleasing advertising out there and lots of crap graffiti.
I like the following pictures, taken recently near where I live. I don't find the advertising displeasing juxtaposed with the graffiti. In fact, I don't understand why I'm supposed to find the graffiti pleasing either absolutely or relatively. Banksy's stuff is pictures which either contain words or read like words. I don't see why it is comparable to the first three of these pictures and nor do I see why these three are supposed to represent something more acceptable than the last.
I think blank space is as important as silence. I don't understand why we have a desperate need to fill them up.
Later: and I'm not very happy about this either:
Sorry, Banksy, but this is bull. There is a literary canon. There is a notion of 'classical music', both of which are exclusive in exactly the same way you complain about Art.
Just as there is popular music and popular writing, both looked down upon by their respective canons, so too in Art. There is a vast amount of popular art, including graffiti, including cartoons, including street art. People do that, they buy pictures being sold on the side of the road and they love them. They think they have purchased art. The mere fact that the governors of the Tate do not think so is neither here nor there.
----------------------------------------
I'm loving this, of course. And it's not that I disagree, exactly, with his messages, but a dominant one is this idea that
The people who truly deface our neighbourhoods are the companies that scrawl their giant slogans across buildings and buses trying to make us feel inadequate unless we buy their stuff.
Well, okay, but. There is lots of really clever, funny, aesthetically pleasing advertising out there and lots of crap graffiti.
I like the following pictures, taken recently near where I live. I don't find the advertising displeasing juxtaposed with the graffiti. In fact, I don't understand why I'm supposed to find the graffiti pleasing either absolutely or relatively. Banksy's stuff is pictures which either contain words or read like words. I don't see why it is comparable to the first three of these pictures and nor do I see why these three are supposed to represent something more acceptable than the last.
I think blank space is as important as silence. I don't understand why we have a desperate need to fill them up.
Later: and I'm not very happy about this either:
Art is not like other culture because its success is not made by its audience. The public fill concert halls and cinemas every day, we read novels by the millions and buy records by the billions. We the people, affect the making and the quality of most of our culture, but not our art.
The Art we look at is made by only a select few. A small group create, promote, purchase, exhibit and decide the success fo Art. Only a few hundred people in the world have any real say. When you go to an Art gallery you are simply a tourist looking at the trophy cabinet of a few millionaires.
Sorry, Banksy, but this is bull. There is a literary canon. There is a notion of 'classical music', both of which are exclusive in exactly the same way you complain about Art.
Just as there is popular music and popular writing, both looked down upon by their respective canons, so too in Art. There is a vast amount of popular art, including graffiti, including cartoons, including street art. People do that, they buy pictures being sold on the side of the road and they love them. They think they have purchased art. The mere fact that the governors of the Tate do not think so is neither here nor there.
July 30, 2016
شاید خود بنکسی بهتر از همه گفته باشه: یه عده میخوان پلیس بشن که دنیا رو بهتر کنن؛ یه عده هم میخوان وندال باشن که ظاهر دنیا رو بهتر کنن.
گرفیتیهای بنکسی پر از ایدههای دوستداشتنی و انسانیه. مخصوصا مجموعهی فلسطینش و همینطور مجموعهی میمون و موزها. بد نیست نگاهی بندازید بهش
گرفیتیهای بنکسی پر از ایدههای دوستداشتنی و انسانیه. مخصوصا مجموعهی فلسطینش و همینطور مجموعهی میمون و موزها. بد نیست نگاهی بندازید بهش
December 4, 2013
I noticed this yesterday in the window of a bookshop on the Route de Carouge. The translator has found quite a clever way of rendering the title: War and Peace in French is Guerre et paix, and "paix" sounds similar to "spray". The odd thing is that he's done it by moving the pun from "War" to "Peace"!
July 27, 2019
An impressive collection of Banky's work, plus, this book has the added bonus of him commenting on his own art, rather than someone else. Never has anyone made drab walls get our full attention more than Banksy. Anyone truly interested in him should check it out.
October 14, 2019
Earlier this week Banksy's Devolved Parliament was sold for £9.9M. I am sure Banksy's haters wouldn't be too happy about it (ask their partners what they did that night :P) and Banksy would be having a hell of a laughter over this.
My friend, a fellow Banksy lover, commented
"If you show people some (exquisite) meaning in what you do, they'll resort immediately to revaluing the entire thing in terms of money"
But of course this time he was talking about the strip club they went to, in the summer.
That's the thing: if you did good, good enough, isn't everything art anyways?!
But..but..but, Banksy doesn't get any of the money so you can take a breather.
The title was first published separately as three different books. And it consists some of Banksy's works and words. It is great, you gotta give it a shot. This guy is an artist, we have established that, but he is a genius. Sheer fucking genius. And he's still alive.
So let's not forget that we are known to only mourn a good artist after reading his/her obit. This time, we learn, I say.
That is it about the book.
What still fascinated me while reading this book was the auction. (My mind is a crazy place to live at) He has clearly mocked the government and I really have no clue how the art market works but it has gone on public record with the sale. Where I come from, this is friggin impossible. I cannot afford to speak against the government -- for the fear that tomorrow my family can go 'missing' -- let alone paint. Or sell for that matter.
So if you're not a fan of Banksy and frustrated about this sale, and most importantly a citizen of Britain, US, Australia ('developed' countries) you have to understand that there is a freedom, the one you have, the one I can only dream of from here, you have taken that freedom for granted.
True liberty lies in trivial things like commenting, discussing, protesting even. So my love for Banksy is not entirely about the aesthetics, it is about the politics and perceptions he holds of the society and what he stands for. Banksy to me is a conversation starter. "Oh did you know about the wall in Palestine?" (True story: I did not. Our media is garbage) and all wall artists represent a revolution: silent, not-so-silent yet constantly uprooting. Banksy sure got the deserved fame.
If you need a glimpse into some of these, read the book.
I am biased this way but it is okay. I am going to sober up in a while and delete all this to end up with "good book. recommended by me. i don't know about you." Wait for it.
PS:
I don't know why I bothered writing this review?!
My friend, a fellow Banksy lover, commented
"If you show people some (exquisite) meaning in what you do, they'll resort immediately to revaluing the entire thing in terms of money"
But of course this time he was talking about the strip club they went to, in the summer.
That's the thing: if you did good, good enough, isn't everything art anyways?!
But..but..but, Banksy doesn't get any of the money so you can take a breather.
The title was first published separately as three different books. And it consists some of Banksy's works and words. It is great, you gotta give it a shot. This guy is an artist, we have established that, but he is a genius. Sheer fucking genius. And he's still alive.
So let's not forget that we are known to only mourn a good artist after reading his/her obit. This time, we learn, I say.
That is it about the book.
What still fascinated me while reading this book was the auction. (My mind is a crazy place to live at) He has clearly mocked the government and I really have no clue how the art market works but it has gone on public record with the sale. Where I come from, this is friggin impossible. I cannot afford to speak against the government -- for the fear that tomorrow my family can go 'missing' -- let alone paint. Or sell for that matter.
So if you're not a fan of Banksy and frustrated about this sale, and most importantly a citizen of Britain, US, Australia ('developed' countries) you have to understand that there is a freedom, the one you have, the one I can only dream of from here, you have taken that freedom for granted.
True liberty lies in trivial things like commenting, discussing, protesting even. So my love for Banksy is not entirely about the aesthetics, it is about the politics and perceptions he holds of the society and what he stands for. Banksy to me is a conversation starter. "Oh did you know about the wall in Palestine?" (True story: I did not. Our media is garbage) and all wall artists represent a revolution: silent, not-so-silent yet constantly uprooting. Banksy sure got the deserved fame.
If you need a glimpse into some of these, read the book.
I am biased this way but it is okay. I am going to sober up in a while and delete all this to end up with "good book. recommended by me. i don't know about you." Wait for it.
PS:
I don't know why I bothered writing this review?!
March 14, 2015
This book is a collection of Graffitis that “Banksy” - one of the world’s most famous street artists - has painted on walls, streets, bridges and many other open places throughout the world. Quite amazing and artistic. (To know what graffiti is, the following lines give the best explanation of it as a piece of art):
“Graffiti is not the lowest from of art. Despite having to creep about at night and lie to your mum it’s actually the most honest artform available. There is no elitism or hype, it exhibits on some of the best walls a town has to offer, and nobody is put off by the price of admission.
A wall has always been the best place to publish your work.”
“Graffiti is not the lowest from of art. Despite having to creep about at night and lie to your mum it’s actually the most honest artform available. There is no elitism or hype, it exhibits on some of the best walls a town has to offer, and nobody is put off by the price of admission.
A wall has always been the best place to publish your work.”
Read
August 2, 2009Provocative and clever, but I would argue ultimately vapid. Something like an underground cultural icon for urban youth today. I only see three basic techniques or themes in his methods:
Irony. Soldiers painting peace signs, zoo monkeys holding homeless signs, traffic signs warning of more (or less) serious things. They're all clever enough, but ultimately just artifacts of a stagnant, consumerist generation that's well aware of its stagnation and consumerism. Like television commercials that poke fun at the fact that they're a commercial: it's witty and self-protective. This either leads to people hating the content and calling it a bastardization of art, or people loving it because they're in on the joke and they "get it." There's basically no message except, "What's the message?"
Commentary on political decadence. Valid enough. But again there's no solution, no grappling with the actual complexity of issues. Just toting anarchy, non-hypocrisy, peace exclusively in terms of non-violence. His anonymity is fortunate because if Banksy were a real figurehead there might be some small shudders of revolution leading toward nothing real.
Pranks/daredevilism. Gets him more laughs than respect, I'd say, except among disenchanted youth. There's a lot of ego involved despite his claims to anonymity and unpaid, unpretentious art. Why spray your tag across the world in challenging places if you're really being anonymous?
He's an important figure for urban history, but he's not a hero and he's not a role model. He's full of talent (he wouldn't get this much attention if his art and stencils were ugly and untrained) and potential but ultimately has nothing to say and no real method of causing significant change. He's on a soapbox. On the other hand, though, because of the way he's popularizing the art, he's also an example of empowerment for the voiceless. But I would also suspect that his example has led to just as much useless or vapid graffiti as it has intelligent graffiti.
Irony. Soldiers painting peace signs, zoo monkeys holding homeless signs, traffic signs warning of more (or less) serious things. They're all clever enough, but ultimately just artifacts of a stagnant, consumerist generation that's well aware of its stagnation and consumerism. Like television commercials that poke fun at the fact that they're a commercial: it's witty and self-protective. This either leads to people hating the content and calling it a bastardization of art, or people loving it because they're in on the joke and they "get it." There's basically no message except, "What's the message?"
Commentary on political decadence. Valid enough. But again there's no solution, no grappling with the actual complexity of issues. Just toting anarchy, non-hypocrisy, peace exclusively in terms of non-violence. His anonymity is fortunate because if Banksy were a real figurehead there might be some small shudders of revolution leading toward nothing real.
Pranks/daredevilism. Gets him more laughs than respect, I'd say, except among disenchanted youth. There's a lot of ego involved despite his claims to anonymity and unpaid, unpretentious art. Why spray your tag across the world in challenging places if you're really being anonymous?
He's an important figure for urban history, but he's not a hero and he's not a role model. He's full of talent (he wouldn't get this much attention if his art and stencils were ugly and untrained) and potential but ultimately has nothing to say and no real method of causing significant change. He's on a soapbox. On the other hand, though, because of the way he's popularizing the art, he's also an example of empowerment for the voiceless. But I would also suspect that his example has led to just as much useless or vapid graffiti as it has intelligent graffiti.
June 16, 2018
Thought provoking....
May 20, 2020
I still remember the balloon girl painting getting shredded. That was the epic moment when I got acquainted with his works.
Banksy's works are thought-provoking. It's creativity and urban art at its best. He's not only a mere street artist but also an epic troll with a refined sense of humour.
"Wall and Piece" highlights Banksy's works around the world. In a photography album look-a-like, he presents some of his street paintings in collage format, quick political thoughts/quotes, and stimulating stories about activism. Whether he uses stencil pencils to paint rats as an analogy for humanity or anthropomorphic pop-culture elements, all these works manage to convey a fresh message on social and political subjects.
Some of my favourites:
The ingenious stunt of exhibiting his paintings in the world most famous museums was a witty prank.
A simple image, at the right time, is enough to grab anyone's attention and shock the viewer. Street art can convey strong and stimulating messages in an urban environment. We live so passively our daily lives that we forget about the reality outside our inner world. Art, in general, has the power to create an emotional impact on ourselves, especially in controversial topics.
Some call him thick-witted and vandal. However, if he managed to grab your attention and convey his message, it already means something.
Banksy's works are thought-provoking. It's creativity and urban art at its best. He's not only a mere street artist but also an epic troll with a refined sense of humour.
"Wall and Piece" highlights Banksy's works around the world. In a photography album look-a-like, he presents some of his street paintings in collage format, quick political thoughts/quotes, and stimulating stories about activism. Whether he uses stencil pencils to paint rats as an analogy for humanity or anthropomorphic pop-culture elements, all these works manage to convey a fresh message on social and political subjects.
Some of my favourites:
The ingenious stunt of exhibiting his paintings in the world most famous museums was a witty prank.
A simple image, at the right time, is enough to grab anyone's attention and shock the viewer. Street art can convey strong and stimulating messages in an urban environment. We live so passively our daily lives that we forget about the reality outside our inner world. Art, in general, has the power to create an emotional impact on ourselves, especially in controversial topics.
Some call him thick-witted and vandal. However, if he managed to grab your attention and convey his message, it already means something.
September 22, 2010
I love Banksy's artwork, and this was collection displays it very well. He's a brilliant man with a paint can, and a clever writer as well. I would recommend this book to anyone not familiar with his work. A few quotes of his I enjoyed were:
Some people represent authority without ever possessing any of their own.
The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules--it's people who follow orders that drop bombs and massacre villages.
A recent survey of North American males found 42% were overweight, 34% were critically obese, and 8% ate the survey.
We can't do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime we should all go shopping to console ourselves.
We don't need anymore heroes, we just need someone to take out the recycling.
Some people represent authority without ever possessing any of their own.
The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules--it's people who follow orders that drop bombs and massacre villages.
A recent survey of North American males found 42% were overweight, 34% were critically obese, and 8% ate the survey.
We can't do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime we should all go shopping to console ourselves.
We don't need anymore heroes, we just need someone to take out the recycling.
May 31, 2020
Wall and Piece contains a magnificent display of graffiti wall arts by Banksy, that are thought-provoking, and reflect the actual face of society and politics.
October 6, 2018
During my studies at the Law school, I came across this poetic expression in a boring document about the administrative decentralization in the EU: The world is like your home, except that it has few more walls..
To me, the essence of Banksy's art incarnates this quote for it is humanistic and internationalist.
Banksy is an English artist from Bristol and that’s all we know.
He remains anonymous and is still hiding his real identity, like the awesome guys from the Daft Punk. He is internationally praised for having revolutionized the graffiti art, like the DP has did too with the Electronic Dance music genre in the mid-90s. However, the two french djs used to mix at parties with uncovered faces, whereas Banksy has never painted or appeared in public.
Well, anonymous unless the recent surprising revelation by an investigative journalist turns out to be true.
Craig Williams has published in the Daily Mail an article with a surprising revelation that is based on a long investigation. Williams claims that Robert 3D Del Naja, member of the famous band Massive Attack, is the guerrilla graffiti star because art keeps appearing near their gigs in different countries.
https://www.google.com.lb/amp/www.dai...
If this revelation turns out to be true, than I'll add it to the many other reasons behind my love and admiration for this band:
- Their avant-garde Electro music
- the remarkable and amazing appearances of immensely beautiful and talented actresses/models in the creative music videos of their latest album :
~ Rosamund Pike (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElvLZ...
~ Kate Moss ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhI5T...) who btw also happens to be painted by Banksy in a Warholish artwork (https://goo.gl/images/4l2sRh) ... hmm could it be just another coincidence?
~ And the divine Cate Blanchett (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r31D...)
More recently, a new article by The Independent seems to approve this hypothesis. It's all in the headline:
Banksy identity 'accidentally revealed by Goldie' during interview. Fans and media claim the slip up proves the artist is a member of the band Massive Attack.
[http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ent...]
However, Goldie could also be referring to Robin Gunningham, which was the claim of a «scientific» study conducted by academics at the Queen Mary University of London in 2016. This study relies on “Geographic profiling” (Geotagging), a technique used to catch serial criminals:
~ https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.inde...
~ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...
Gunningham was first pinned by the Mail on Sunday as the elusive artist back in 2008.
Most journalists are inclined to believe that Robin Gunningham is really the mysterious ‘graffiti bomber’, moreover since it is believed that he was caught on camera a few months ago
https://www.google.com/amp/s/metro.co...
The attempts to unmask his identity are numerous but none of the claims is confirmed and the saga of Banksy’s mysterious identity still goes on..
What i find irritating is how the artist's nickname, Banksy, has become a generic term, overused as a label and as an attribute. It is tossed off by most journalists every time the subject is related to the graffiti art. It is like making an analogy between my 3 years old niece's paintings with Picasso's cubism every time she draws straight lines.
Very often, you will read articles about the Banksy-likes:
+ There are the 'Young Banksys', such as the 10 years old Solveig
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pictu...
+ The 'Rightwing Banksy', like 'Sabo', an American Republican Street artist based in LA
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddes...
+ There are the 'female Banksys':
-A graffiti artist called Aiku
https://www.google.com.lb/amp/www.ind...
+ And of course Bambi, the most famous one:
https://www.google.com.lb/amp/s/amp.t...
On the other hand, Banksy has inspired many female artists to get involved in this form of art:
https://www.google.com.lb/amp/s/m.mic...
Of course, in our capitalist mass-consumerist society, everything ends up being commercialized and measured by its money value. Art is no exception, as its creation for autotelic reasons by the artist seems to be an ongoing myth. Of course, I don't mean that an artist must work for free like those who consider that Art is a disinterested activity.
I meant to point out the catastrophic monopoly exercised today by the art galleries in the nauseating market of Arts, pricing the artists' artworks (the one million dollars question: what are the criterias?) and appointed as the high authority who decides for the public what is good art and what is not (Exhibit A: that pseudo-artist by the name of Jeff Koons)..
Most often, It's some clueless tasteless snobs who buy and sell these paintings as safe long-term financial investments (In the past century, the aristocrats used to finance the greatest artists (like the impressionists), but that's a long story), instead of having them displayed for the public in the more and more financially powerless museums. Anyway, that is another long debate..
The auctions at the prestigious Galleries that are featuring Banksy's artworks has no doubt tainted his reputation as a guerrilla-artist.
Btw, The book description on GR has to be updated, the prices of his artworks exceeds 45k by far, this one https://goo.gl/images/r79ZDM was sold for the modest amount of one million and a half dollars.
Banksy is a street artist. Basically, street art is defined as a visual art created in public locations, usually unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art venues (..) Street art is often motivated by a preference on the part of the artist to communicate directly with the public at large, free from perceived confines of the formal art world. Street artists sometimes present socially relevant content infused with esthetic value, to attract attention to a cause or as a form of "art provocation”.
- [Wikipedia]
In 2015 Banksy has created a huge dystopian park called Dismaland (obviously lampooning Disneyland) in which he has installed huge creepy artworks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wruE....
Banksy's art takes always the form of urban activism.
He proved it again recently in 2017 with his new project, the Walled Off Hotel in Betlehem. It's an hotel packed with his artworks and with a horrible view on the concrete slabs of the separation wall
* https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglis...
* https://www.theguardian.com/world/201...
Banksy's creations and epigrams are purposed, transgressive, provocative and subversive.
The political messages and symbols that his drawings and murals deliver are powerful, particularly those on the Palestinian side. He has even sneaked undercover in 2015 to the war-torn Gaza and painted a series on the rubbles and ruins of the demolished buildings in the devastated areas.
~ Some of his works in Gaza during the Israeli strikes in 2008.. Unfortunately, they are still relevant today:
https://goo.gl/images/mWZAd3
https://goo.gl/images/WyeJnJ
Again, what does Bambi paint?
Brad Pitt, for example, is alleged to have bought Bambi’s wedding portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for £60,000 as a gift for Angelina Jolie, before commissioning portraits of his own family. Other works by the street artist have fetched upwards of £100,000.
- [The Guardian]
This says it all, she is a prominent artist worthy of Banksy's legacy because Brad Pitt thinks so. Or is it the other way around, he bought her 'amazing' works because an Art gallery has said they are?
Anyway, I'm not interested in the evaluation of her artworks, my point is to show how much ridiculous I find this analogy is.
To me, the essence of Banksy's art incarnates this quote for it is humanistic and internationalist.
Banksy is an English artist from Bristol and that’s all we know.
He remains anonymous and is still hiding his real identity, like the awesome guys from the Daft Punk. He is internationally praised for having revolutionized the graffiti art, like the DP has did too with the Electronic Dance music genre in the mid-90s. However, the two french djs used to mix at parties with uncovered faces, whereas Banksy has never painted or appeared in public.
Well, anonymous unless the recent surprising revelation by an investigative journalist turns out to be true.
Craig Williams has published in the Daily Mail an article with a surprising revelation that is based on a long investigation. Williams claims that Robert 3D Del Naja, member of the famous band Massive Attack, is the guerrilla graffiti star because art keeps appearing near their gigs in different countries.
https://www.google.com.lb/amp/www.dai...
If this revelation turns out to be true, than I'll add it to the many other reasons behind my love and admiration for this band:
- Their avant-garde Electro music
- the remarkable and amazing appearances of immensely beautiful and talented actresses/models in the creative music videos of their latest album :
~ Rosamund Pike (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElvLZ...
~ Kate Moss ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhI5T...) who btw also happens to be painted by Banksy in a Warholish artwork (https://goo.gl/images/4l2sRh) ... hmm could it be just another coincidence?
~ And the divine Cate Blanchett (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r31D...)
More recently, a new article by The Independent seems to approve this hypothesis. It's all in the headline:
Banksy identity 'accidentally revealed by Goldie' during interview. Fans and media claim the slip up proves the artist is a member of the band Massive Attack.
[http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ent...]
However, Goldie could also be referring to Robin Gunningham, which was the claim of a «scientific» study conducted by academics at the Queen Mary University of London in 2016. This study relies on “Geographic profiling” (Geotagging), a technique used to catch serial criminals:
~ https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.inde...
~ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...
Gunningham was first pinned by the Mail on Sunday as the elusive artist back in 2008.
Most journalists are inclined to believe that Robin Gunningham is really the mysterious ‘graffiti bomber’, moreover since it is believed that he was caught on camera a few months ago
https://www.google.com/amp/s/metro.co...
The attempts to unmask his identity are numerous but none of the claims is confirmed and the saga of Banksy’s mysterious identity still goes on..
What i find irritating is how the artist's nickname, Banksy, has become a generic term, overused as a label and as an attribute. It is tossed off by most journalists every time the subject is related to the graffiti art. It is like making an analogy between my 3 years old niece's paintings with Picasso's cubism every time she draws straight lines.
Very often, you will read articles about the Banksy-likes:
+ There are the 'Young Banksys', such as the 10 years old Solveig
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pictu...
+ The 'Rightwing Banksy', like 'Sabo', an American Republican Street artist based in LA
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddes...
+ There are the 'female Banksys':
-A graffiti artist called Aiku
https://www.google.com.lb/amp/www.ind...
+ And of course Bambi, the most famous one:
https://www.google.com.lb/amp/s/amp.t...
On the other hand, Banksy has inspired many female artists to get involved in this form of art:
https://www.google.com.lb/amp/s/m.mic...
Of course, in our capitalist mass-consumerist society, everything ends up being commercialized and measured by its money value. Art is no exception, as its creation for autotelic reasons by the artist seems to be an ongoing myth. Of course, I don't mean that an artist must work for free like those who consider that Art is a disinterested activity.
I meant to point out the catastrophic monopoly exercised today by the art galleries in the nauseating market of Arts, pricing the artists' artworks (the one million dollars question: what are the criterias?) and appointed as the high authority who decides for the public what is good art and what is not (Exhibit A: that pseudo-artist by the name of Jeff Koons)..
Most often, It's some clueless tasteless snobs who buy and sell these paintings as safe long-term financial investments (In the past century, the aristocrats used to finance the greatest artists (like the impressionists), but that's a long story), instead of having them displayed for the public in the more and more financially powerless museums. Anyway, that is another long debate..
The auctions at the prestigious Galleries that are featuring Banksy's artworks has no doubt tainted his reputation as a guerrilla-artist.
Btw, The book description on GR has to be updated, the prices of his artworks exceeds 45k by far, this one https://goo.gl/images/r79ZDM was sold for the modest amount of one million and a half dollars.
Banksy is a street artist. Basically, street art is defined as a visual art created in public locations, usually unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art venues (..) Street art is often motivated by a preference on the part of the artist to communicate directly with the public at large, free from perceived confines of the formal art world. Street artists sometimes present socially relevant content infused with esthetic value, to attract attention to a cause or as a form of "art provocation”.
- [Wikipedia]
In 2015 Banksy has created a huge dystopian park called Dismaland (obviously lampooning Disneyland) in which he has installed huge creepy artworks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wruE....
Banksy's art takes always the form of urban activism.
He proved it again recently in 2017 with his new project, the Walled Off Hotel in Betlehem. It's an hotel packed with his artworks and with a horrible view on the concrete slabs of the separation wall
* https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglis...
* https://www.theguardian.com/world/201...
Banksy's creations and epigrams are purposed, transgressive, provocative and subversive.
The political messages and symbols that his drawings and murals deliver are powerful, particularly those on the Palestinian side. He has even sneaked undercover in 2015 to the war-torn Gaza and painted a series on the rubbles and ruins of the demolished buildings in the devastated areas.
~ Some of his works in Gaza during the Israeli strikes in 2008.. Unfortunately, they are still relevant today:
https://goo.gl/images/mWZAd3
https://goo.gl/images/WyeJnJ
Again, what does Bambi paint?
Brad Pitt, for example, is alleged to have bought Bambi’s wedding portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for £60,000 as a gift for Angelina Jolie, before commissioning portraits of his own family. Other works by the street artist have fetched upwards of £100,000.
- [The Guardian]
This says it all, she is a prominent artist worthy of Banksy's legacy because Brad Pitt thinks so. Or is it the other way around, he bought her 'amazing' works because an Art gallery has said they are?
Anyway, I'm not interested in the evaluation of her artworks, my point is to show how much ridiculous I find this analogy is.
September 28, 2015
There are many great stencilists in this world (Orion and Fairey come to mind), but Banksy is up there with the best of them. Some people enjoy hating on him because he makes loads of money out of stencilling these days and his messages are sometimes vaguely anti-establishment. I remember Charlie Brooker once dedicating a whole article to how much he thinks Banksy blows nuts and it's the only time I've found myself disagreeing with my personal Jesus.
This is because if we focus on the artistry rather than the personality, then the sheer scale of his work and just how public it has been over the years is phenomenal. Anyone who has made a stencil bigger than A4 or has tried putting up graffiti in public places will tell you that the technical aspects of what he does are jaw dropping. Even if he gets planning permission (which I'm pretty sure he doesn't given the content of what he's put up), the scale alone is incredible.
And call me a moron, but I actually appreciate the images. He has kept with the historical spirit of political stencilling as a form of protest. Contrary to what Wikipedia tells us, political stencilling was around during WWII - often employed by fascists and the resistance movements to spread propaganda messages. From what I've read and seen over the years political stencils have always been vague because they're supposed to be provocative; they're not supposed to be academic essays with footnotes and bibliographies.
So, yeah, I like this guy. There are better books on graffiti and stencilling out there, but this is a worthy read if you appreciate what this fella does - either technically or through his vague anti-establishment messages.
This is because if we focus on the artistry rather than the personality, then the sheer scale of his work and just how public it has been over the years is phenomenal. Anyone who has made a stencil bigger than A4 or has tried putting up graffiti in public places will tell you that the technical aspects of what he does are jaw dropping. Even if he gets planning permission (which I'm pretty sure he doesn't given the content of what he's put up), the scale alone is incredible.
And call me a moron, but I actually appreciate the images. He has kept with the historical spirit of political stencilling as a form of protest. Contrary to what Wikipedia tells us, political stencilling was around during WWII - often employed by fascists and the resistance movements to spread propaganda messages. From what I've read and seen over the years political stencils have always been vague because they're supposed to be provocative; they're not supposed to be academic essays with footnotes and bibliographies.
So, yeah, I like this guy. There are better books on graffiti and stencilling out there, but this is a worthy read if you appreciate what this fella does - either technically or through his vague anti-establishment messages.
February 14, 2012
Banksy is clever without being deep, adventurous without being ground-breaking, and quite possibly the best known visual artist active in the world without being extremely talented. He's against the global soulless corporate machine, but his art is by nature a quick hit, the artistic equivalent of a Big Mac. It's incredibly refreshing and accessible and it's art that actually means something.
In a wander through a museum like the MoMA or the Tate Modern, you see some interesting designs, the occasional piece that's quite clever in concept or execution and a lot of pretentious crap. Banksy as an artist is a reaction to the high brow direction of art over the last hundred years - he makes art that's relevant to, accessable to, and understandable by the average person.
Also, his work is damn entertaining, usually showing a great cheeky sense of humor.
This book is, if nothing else, a great introduction to the man and his work. I highly recommend it, especially to those that really like art, and those that really dislike art.
In a wander through a museum like the MoMA or the Tate Modern, you see some interesting designs, the occasional piece that's quite clever in concept or execution and a lot of pretentious crap. Banksy as an artist is a reaction to the high brow direction of art over the last hundred years - he makes art that's relevant to, accessable to, and understandable by the average person.
Also, his work is damn entertaining, usually showing a great cheeky sense of humor.
This book is, if nothing else, a great introduction to the man and his work. I highly recommend it, especially to those that really like art, and those that really dislike art.
November 1, 2012
An art book that probably hates that it's an art book. Of note:
"There's no way you're going to get a quote from us to use on your book cover" --Metropolitan Police spokesperson, quoted on back cover
"Copyright is for losers" --copyright page
"Despite what they say graffiti is not the lowest form of art. Although you might have to creep about at night and lie to your mum it's actually one of the more honest art forms available. There is no elitism or hype, it exhibits on the best walls a town has to offer and nobody is put off by the price of admission.
A wall has always been the best place to publish your work."
"There are no exceptions to the rule that everyone thinks they're an exception to the rules"
"The human race is the most stupid and unfair kind of race. A lot of the runners don't even get decent sneakers or clean drinking water.
Some runners are born with a massive head start, every possible help along the way and still the referees seem to be on their side.
It's not surprising a lot of people have given up competing altogether and gone to sit in the grandstand, eat junk and shout abuse.
What the human race needs is a lot more streakers."
"Art is not like other culture because its success is not made by its audience. The public fill concert halls and cinemas every day, we read novels by the millions and buy records by the billions. We the people, affect the making and the quality of most of our culture, but not our art.
The Art we look at is made by only a select few. A small group create, promote, purchase, exhibit and decide the success of Art. Only a few hundred people in the world have any real say. When you go to an Art gallery you are simply a tourist looking at the trophy cabinet of a few millionaires."
"TV has made going to the theatre seem pointless, photography has pretty much killed painting, but graffiti remains gloriously unspoilt by progress."
"Brandalism: Any advertisement in public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It belongs to you. It's yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head."
"Nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful people with talent, leave the house before you find something worth staying in for."
"The time of getting fame for your name on its own is over. Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Fame is a by-product of doing something else. You don't go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a sh*t."
"There's no way you're going to get a quote from us to use on your book cover" --Metropolitan Police spokesperson, quoted on back cover
"Copyright is for losers" --copyright page
"Despite what they say graffiti is not the lowest form of art. Although you might have to creep about at night and lie to your mum it's actually one of the more honest art forms available. There is no elitism or hype, it exhibits on the best walls a town has to offer and nobody is put off by the price of admission.
A wall has always been the best place to publish your work."
"There are no exceptions to the rule that everyone thinks they're an exception to the rules"
"The human race is the most stupid and unfair kind of race. A lot of the runners don't even get decent sneakers or clean drinking water.
Some runners are born with a massive head start, every possible help along the way and still the referees seem to be on their side.
It's not surprising a lot of people have given up competing altogether and gone to sit in the grandstand, eat junk and shout abuse.
What the human race needs is a lot more streakers."
"Art is not like other culture because its success is not made by its audience. The public fill concert halls and cinemas every day, we read novels by the millions and buy records by the billions. We the people, affect the making and the quality of most of our culture, but not our art.
The Art we look at is made by only a select few. A small group create, promote, purchase, exhibit and decide the success of Art. Only a few hundred people in the world have any real say. When you go to an Art gallery you are simply a tourist looking at the trophy cabinet of a few millionaires."
"TV has made going to the theatre seem pointless, photography has pretty much killed painting, but graffiti remains gloriously unspoilt by progress."
"Brandalism: Any advertisement in public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It belongs to you. It's yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head."
"Nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful people with talent, leave the house before you find something worth staying in for."
"The time of getting fame for your name on its own is over. Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Fame is a by-product of doing something else. You don't go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a sh*t."
August 3, 2011
“Nobody ever listened to me until they didn’t know who I was.”
When I lived in LA a few years ago, I went to a downtown warehouse after receiving a text message with the address. Banksy was in town, and in true clandestine fashion, the location of his show was a secret until just hours before it opened. I was impressed. I had never heard of Banksy, but his highly successful, clandestine, guerilla marketing intrigued me. I did a Google search on him and was even more impressed with the images of his work. He was a famous graffitti artist from Britain, but the work I found also included beautifully altered oil paintings from the previous century -- work that conveyed intelligence, humor, and political intent. Who was this guy?
The LA show was dominated by an elephant in a room. A live elephant, elaborately painted in pink, in a staged living room. Brilliant!
“I like to think I have the guts to stand up anonymously in a western democracy and call for things no-one else believes in -- like peace and justice and freedom.”
I loved every page of Wall and Piece. Banksy’s work encompasses different styles and techniques, but all capture the mind of an engaged and passionate artist. Every image evokes a reaction from me. Some are laugh out loud funny, some are disturbing, all are clever and thought provoking. His words are just as effective.
Banksy ends this book, “People either love me or they hate me, or they don’t really care.” I’m part of the first category, and I honestly don’t know how anyone can go through this book and not have an opinion. What’s yours? Check this book out and discover more about yourself.
When I lived in LA a few years ago, I went to a downtown warehouse after receiving a text message with the address. Banksy was in town, and in true clandestine fashion, the location of his show was a secret until just hours before it opened. I was impressed. I had never heard of Banksy, but his highly successful, clandestine, guerilla marketing intrigued me. I did a Google search on him and was even more impressed with the images of his work. He was a famous graffitti artist from Britain, but the work I found also included beautifully altered oil paintings from the previous century -- work that conveyed intelligence, humor, and political intent. Who was this guy?
The LA show was dominated by an elephant in a room. A live elephant, elaborately painted in pink, in a staged living room. Brilliant!
“I like to think I have the guts to stand up anonymously in a western democracy and call for things no-one else believes in -- like peace and justice and freedom.”
I loved every page of Wall and Piece. Banksy’s work encompasses different styles and techniques, but all capture the mind of an engaged and passionate artist. Every image evokes a reaction from me. Some are laugh out loud funny, some are disturbing, all are clever and thought provoking. His words are just as effective.
Banksy ends this book, “People either love me or they hate me, or they don’t really care.” I’m part of the first category, and I honestly don’t know how anyone can go through this book and not have an opinion. What’s yours? Check this book out and discover more about yourself.
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